Milton Bradley and Cubs agree to deal?

[Auz]

The Hoff will be there as he will really be our only power threat off the bench.

[leonardsipes]

Given this years salaries, I do not think Hendry is paying Gathright .8 mil to pinch run. Pie could fill the role of PR and defensive replacement. I think at a minimum Gathright will get the majority of ABs when Bradley is out, and possibly compete for starting CF job. Gathright is young and still has potential, I don't think Hendry is looking for a .330 OBP to put at the top of the lineup. He is hoping Gathright can come close to his potential.

I also think that speed is valuable at the top of the lineup. Don't bash Neifi w/o looking at his stats. In 2005, Perez and Walker made almost identical plate apps in the 2nd spot. Perez was driven in more times than Walker (R-HR).

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=21339:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM:name=leonardsipes)-->QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Given this years salaries, I do not think Hendry is paying Gathright .8 mil to pinch run. Pie could fill the role of PR and defensive replacement. I think at a minimum Gathright will get the majority of ABs when Bradley is out, and possibly compete for starting CF job. Gathright is young and still has potential, I don't think Hendry is looking for a .330 OBP to put at the top of the lineup. He is hoping Gathright can come close to his potential.

I also think that speed is valuable at the top of the lineup. Don't bash Neifi w/o looking at his stats. In 2005, Perez and Walker made almost identical plate apps in the 2nd spot. Perez was driven in more times than Walker (R-HR).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

He's gonna be 28, he's been in the league 5 years, and his career OPS - which he pretty much hits every year - is .632.

There's no potential there. Except the potential to give me ulcers.

[Lance]

<!--quoteo(post=21345:date=Mar 2 2009, 07:33 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Mar 2 2009, 07:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->There's no potential there. Except the potential to give me ulcers.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/funny.gif[/img]

[Fella]

<!--quoteo(post=21345:date=Mar 2 2009, 05:33 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Mar 2 2009, 05:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21339:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM:name=leonardsipes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Given this years salaries, I do not think Hendry is paying Gathright .8 mil to pinch run. Pie could fill the role of PR and defensive replacement. I think at a minimum Gathright will get the majority of ABs when Bradley is out, and possibly compete for starting CF job. Gathright is young and still has potential, I don't think Hendry is looking for a .330 OBP to put at the top of the lineup. He is hoping Gathright can come close to his potential.

I also think that speed is valuable at the top of the lineup. Don't bash Neifi w/o looking at his stats. In 2005, Perez and Walker made almost identical plate apps in the 2nd spot. Perez was driven in more times than Walker (R-HR).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

He's gonna be 28, he's been in the league 5 years, and his career OPS - which he pretty much hits every year - is .632.

There's no potential there. Except the potential to give me ulcers.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Speed never goes into slumps dudes, and he probably really fucks with the pitchers head while on 1st.

[leonardsipes]

<!--quoteo(post=21345:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:33 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Mar 2 2009, 06:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21339:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM:name=leonardsipes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Given this years salaries, I do not think Hendry is paying Gathright .8 mil to pinch run. Pie could fill the role of PR and defensive replacement. I think at a minimum Gathright will get the majority of ABs when Bradley is out, and possibly compete for starting CF job. Gathright is young and still has potential, I don't think Hendry is looking for a .330 OBP to put at the top of the lineup. He is hoping Gathright can come close to his potential.

I also think that speed is valuable at the top of the lineup. Don't bash Neifi w/o looking at his stats. In 2005, Perez and Walker made almost identical plate apps in the 2nd spot. Perez was driven in more times than Walker (R-HR).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

He's gonna be 28, he's been in the league 5 years, and his career OPS - which he pretty much hits every year - is .632.

There's no potential there. Except the potential to give me ulcers.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

There are 2 positives: his 2007 stats and that he only has 1250 MLB plate apps. I have to believe that Hendry did not sign him to get 200+ ABs at the top of the lineup and OBP .328. I assume Hendry feels he has the potential to be a much better hitter.

[ruby23]

<!--quoteo(post=21353:date=Mar 2 2009, 08:02 PM:name=leonardsipes)-->QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 08:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21345:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:33 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Mar 2 2009, 06:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21339:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM:name=leonardsipes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Given this years salaries, I do not think Hendry is paying Gathright .8 mil to pinch run. Pie could fill the role of PR and defensive replacement. I think at a minimum Gathright will get the majority of ABs when Bradley is out, and possibly compete for starting CF job. Gathright is young and still has potential, I don't think Hendry is looking for a .330 OBP to put at the top of the lineup. He is hoping Gathright can come close to his potential.

I also think that speed is valuable at the top of the lineup. Don't bash Neifi w/o looking at his stats. In 2005, Perez and Walker made almost identical plate apps in the 2nd spot. Perez was driven in more times than Walker (R-HR).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

He's gonna be 28, he's been in the league 5 years, and his career OPS - which he pretty much hits every year - is .632.

There's no potential there. Except the potential to give me ulcers.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

There are 2 positives: his 2007 stats and that he only has 1250 MLB plate apps. I have to believe that Hendry did not sign him to get 200+ ABs at the top of the lineup and OBP .328. I assume Hendry feels he has the potential to be a much better hitter.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Nope.

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=21353:date=Mar 2 2009, 09:02 PM:name=leonardsipes)-->QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21345:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:33 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Mar 2 2009, 06:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21339:date=Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM:name=leonardsipes)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (leonardsipes @ Mar 2 2009, 06:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Given this years salaries, I do not think Hendry is paying Gathright .8 mil to pinch run. Pie could fill the role of PR and defensive replacement. I think at a minimum Gathright will get the majority of ABs when Bradley is out, and possibly compete for starting CF job. Gathright is young and still has potential, I don't think Hendry is looking for a .330 OBP to put at the top of the lineup. He is hoping Gathright can come close to his potential.

I also think that speed is valuable at the top of the lineup. Don't bash Neifi w/o looking at his stats. In 2005, Perez and Walker made almost identical plate apps in the 2nd spot. Perez was driven in more times than Walker (R-HR).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

He's gonna be 28, he's been in the league 5 years, and his career OPS - which he pretty much hits every year - is .632.

There's no potential there. Except the potential to give me ulcers.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

There are 2 positives: his 2007 stats and that he only has 1250 MLB plate apps. I have to believe that Hendry did not sign him to get 200+ ABs at the top of the lineup and OBP .328. I assume Hendry feels he has the potential to be a much better hitter.

<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I appreciate your optimism, but I think Hendry was just trying to sign a fast bench guy.

[Brock]

Only 1250 plate appearances? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

[Giff]

<!--quoteo(post=21365:date=Mar 2 2009, 08:34 PM:name=Brock)-->QUOTE (Brock @ Mar 2 2009, 08:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Only 1250 plate appearances? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's only about two full seasons for a starter. Plenty of guys haven't come close to their full potential after 1250 PA's. It wasn't that outlandish of a statement.

With that being said, I'm with everyone else, Gathright is here to be a fast 25th man who can run down some balls in the outfield.

[Brock]

<!--quoteo(post=21369:date=Mar 2 2009, 08:39 PM:name=Giff)-->QUOTE (Giff @ Mar 2 2009, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=21365:date=Mar 2 2009, 08:34 PM:name=Brock)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brock @ Mar 2 2009, 08:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Only 1250 plate appearances? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's only about two full seasons for a starter. Plenty of guys haven't come close to their full potential after 1250 PA's. It wasn't that outlandish of a statement.

With that being said, I'm with everyone else, Gathright is here to be a fast 25th man who can run down some balls in the outfield.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

1250 plate appearances at the age of 28 is way more than enough to let a logical observer realize that he's horseshit at the plate.

[veryzer]

<!--quoteo(post=21284:date=Mar 2 2009, 02:30 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Mar 2 2009, 02:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Brock gets it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


no he doesn't. if hoffpauir hits, lou will live with a couple miscues.

[veryzer]

gathright - defensive replacement, spot starter, pinch runner
hoffpauir - backup 1st baseman, backup corner outfielder, pinch hitter, dh

both will make the team. so kb is right about one thing: what are we arguing about again?

[Butcher]

From BP:

I don't have a subscription, so I'm only pasting the portion of the article that I can actually see.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->According to a report at MLB.com, Milton Bradley is set to return to the Cubs' lineup Wednesday afternoon as the DH. It will be his first appearance since February 26, when a problem with his left thigh forced him from a Cactus League game.

That's not a bad solution for March 4, but it won't do much for the team come April 6. The Cubs play six games in the regular season with the DH rule, and 156 without it. Coming off of a career season in Texas in which he got more than 80 percent of his plate appearances as the DH, Bradley will have to find his way onto the field much more than he has in recent seasons to justify the $10 million per-year commitment that the Cubs have made to him.

In a vacuum, Bradley appears to be exactly what the Cubs need: a switch-hitter, strong from the left side, someone who balances the lineup and provides excellent OBP and some power. Once a good defensive outfielder, he's slipped a bit in that regard due to a series of nagging injuries. However, the Cubs play home games in a park with a fairly small outfield, and with their high-strikeout pitching staff they rely less on their outfield defense than other teams do. The Cubs haven't prioritized outfield defense of late, and if they can make the postseason with an aged Jim Edmonds patrolling center, they can clearly suffer some mediocre range on the pasture.

Bradley, however, has no recent track record of staying on the field at any level of skill. Since establishing himself in the majors in June of 2002, Bradley has played in 62.6 percent of his team's games. He's played in more than 100 games just three times, and in more than 100 games in the field just twice. Let's repeat that: Milton Bradley has played in 100 games in the field just twice since becoming a full-time major leaguer. That, and not his temper, is the biggest reason to be wary of how this story ends. The Cubs have signed him to do something that he has little track record, and no recent track record, of doing. Bradley played 165 innings in the field in 2008; he played 480 out there in '07, and 803 in '06. Stop me when I get to full-time play. In 2005, he played 628 innings afield. You have to go all the way back to 2004 to find a season in which Bradley stayed on the field for two-thirds of his team's innings.

That's why this signing was a mistake. It has nothing to do with Bradley's anger-management issues, ones that have defined his career. It has nothing to do with Bradley's skill set as a hitter. It has nothing to do with the money, which was in line with what Adam Dunn and Raul Ibañez signed for. <b>No, the problem is that the Cubs signed a player to do a job that he's not capable of doing. </b>Signing Milton Bradley to be an everyday outfielder is like signing Mark Prior to make 34 starts, or trading for Carlos Delgado to be your catcher, or bringing in Will Carroll to endorse hair-care products. <b>You're asking people to do things their bodies long ago stopped being able to do, and that's a recipe for failure.</b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[leonardsipes]

He was signed to play about 2/3 of the Cubs games in the OF and hopefully be healthy for the playoffs.